Systems and methods for high throughput sorting

ABSTRACT

A high throughput sorting device is disclosed. The device includes a first sorter and a second sorter, each of the first and second sorters having a plurality of cells each configured to support, carry, and deposit an item. The device can also include at least one shared chute extending below a portion of the first sorter and a portion of the second sorter. The at least one chute can be configured to receive an item deposited by each of the plurality of cells and transport the item to an endpoint. The device can also include a base configured to support the at least one shared chute and the first and second sorters

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57. Thisapplication is a claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/277,837, filed on Jan. 12, 2016,and entitled “SYSTEMS METHODS FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT SORTING,” the entiredisclosure of each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND Field

This disclosure relates to sorting a plurality of items. Morespecifically, it relates to systems and methods for high throughputsorting of items to a plurality of destinations.

Description

Quickly sorting a large plurality of items, however, is often difficultto do in an efficient and cost-effective manner. As one example, maildelivery operations can involve receiving, unloading, transporting,loading, and sorting thousands of items, which can include letters,flats, parcels, and the like, into trays or bins for further processingand/or delivery. The high volume of mail items processed and sortedincreases the cost and complexity of the sorting means and methodsinvolved. Inefficient sorting systems and methods can lead tosignificant losses of time and/or increased costs over the course of aday or year. Moreover, the sorting apparatuses themselves take up spacein a processing facility, which can be limited.

Mail delivery is merely one example of an industrial application thatrelies on sorting and processing large quantities of items. Others caninclude, but are not limited to, retail operations with largeinventories and high daily sales, high volume component manufacturers,such as consumer goods, baggage sorting, and importing operations withhigh volumes of imports needing sorting and receiving daily.

SUMMARY

The embodiments disclosed herein each have several aspects no single oneof which is solely responsible for the disclosure's desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this disclosure, its moreprominent features will now be briefly discussed. After considering thisdiscussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled“Detailed Description,” one will understand how the features of theembodiments described herein provide advantages over existing systems,devices, and methods for sorting items.

In one aspect described herein, a high throughput sorting devicecomprises a sorter including a first sorter section parallel to a secondsorter section, a plurality of cells disposed on the sorter andconfigured to move along the sorter, each cell including a pair of doorsforming a platform configured to: support an item in a closedconfiguration, and deposit the item through the cell in an openconfiguration; a plurality of chutes, each chute extending below thefirst sorter section and the second sorter section, the plurality ofchutes configured to receive items deposited through the plurality ofcells and transport the items to a plurality of sorting destinations;and a base configured to support the first sorter section, the secondsorter section, and the plurality of chutes.

In some embodiments, the sorter comprises a first loop including thefirst sorter section; and a second loop including the second sortersection, wherein the first loop is continuous with the second loop suchthat a cell moving along the sorter passes the first sorter section andthe second sorter section.

In some embodiments, the sorter comprises a first loop including thefirst sorter section; and a second loop including the second sortersection, wherein the first loop is distinct from the second loop suchthat a cell moving along the first loop does not pass the second sortersection.

In some embodiments, a plurality of bins are positioned at endpoints ofthe plurality of chutes, each bin associated with a sort destination.

In some embodiments, an item can be deposited onto each of the pluralityof chutes at a first location in the first sorter section and a secondlocation in the second sorter section.

In some embodiments, an item deposited onto a chute at the firstlocation and an item deposited onto the chute at the second location areeach transported by the chute to the same sort destination.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of chutes is supported by thebase below the first sorter section and the second sorter section at aninclined angle relative to ground such that an item deposited thereonslides to an endpoint of the chute.

In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of chutes, a distancebetween the first sorter section and the chute is less than a distancebetween the second sorter section and the chute.

In some embodiments, the plurality of chutes includes a first chute thatis inclined to a first side of the device and the second chute that isinclined to a second side of the device, the second side being oppositethe first side.

In some embodiments, the first chute and the second chute are configuredto transport items deposited thereon in opposing directions.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises a first inductorlocated adjacent to the first sorter section of the sorter andconfigured to load items onto the plurality of cells during the firstsorter section; and a second inductor located adjacent to the secondsorter section of the sorter and configured to load items onto theplurality of cells during the second sorter section.

In some embodiments, for each of the plurality of cells, the pair ofdoors comprise a leading door and a trailing door of the set and whereinthe trailing door is shorter than the leading door.

Another aspect describe herein relates to a method of high throughputsorting, comprising placing a first item onto a first cell on a firstsection of a sorter; moving the first cell along the sorter to a firstlocation positioned over a chute configured to guide items deposited onthe chute to a sort destination; depositing the first item onto thechute from the first cell at the first location such that the chuteguides the first item to the sort destination; placing a second itemonto a second cell on a second section of the sorter; moving the secondcell along the sorter in a direction opposite of the first cell, to asecond location positioned over the chute, the second location beingdifferent from the first location; depositing the second item onto thechute from the second cell at the second location such that the chuteguides the second item to the sort destination.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises associating the sortdestination with a delivery point; and determining delivery destinationsfor the first and second items by scanning the first and second items toread first and second destination information corresponding to thedelivery point located on the first and second items.

In some embodiments, depositing the first item onto the chute from thefirst cell at the first location comprises associating the first cellwith the first item in a memory and associating the second cell with thesecond item in the memory; determining when the position of the firstcell containing the first item corresponds to the chute leading to thesort destination; depositing the first item on the chute from the firstcell; determining when the position of the second cell containing thesecond item corresponds to the chute leading to the sort destination;depositing the second item on the chute from the second cell

In some embodiments, depositing the first and second items on the chutecomprises opening a set doors of the first and second cells when thefirst and second cells are positioned over the chute.

In some embodiments, the first section of the sorter and the secondsection of the sorter are disposed parallel to each other.

In some embodiments, the first section of the sorter and the secondsection of the sorter are configured to move the first and second cellsin parallel and opposite directions.

In some embodiments, a first portion of the chute is disposed under thefirst section of the sorter to receive items from the first cell, and asecond portion of the chute is disposed under the second section of thesorter to receive items from the second cell, wherein the first andsecond portions of the chute are continuous, and the chute is disposedunder the first and second sections of the sorter at an angle in orderto guide the first and second items to the sort destination.

In another aspect described herein, a sorting device comprises means forplacing a first item onto a first cell on a first section of a sorter;means for moving the first cell along the sorter to a first locationpositioned over a chute configured to guide items deposited on the chuteto a sort destination; means for depositing the first item onto thechute from the first cell at the first location such that the chuteguides the first item to the sort destination; means for placing asecond item onto a second cell on a second section of the sorter; meansfor moving the second cell along the sorter to a second locationpositioned over the chute, the second location different from the firstlocation; means for depositing the second item onto the chute from thesecond cell at the second location such that the chute guides the seconditem to the sort destination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features of the disclosure will become morefully apparent from the following description and appended claims, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a sorting system includinga set of dedicated bins.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method forusing a sorting system to sort items into desired bins.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a section of a highthroughput sorting device for use with two sorter sections andconfigured with a chute system for feeding a set of shared bins. Thechute system can allow items on either sorter section to reach any ofthe shared bins.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of an embodiment of one of the sortersections from FIG. 3A where each of the cells of the sorter section hasbomb-bay style doors with the trailing door having a shorter length thanthe leading door.

FIG. 3C is a top view of the sorter sections of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 3D is a side view of the sorter sections of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 3E is a perspective view of the high throughput sorting device ofFIG. 3A with the two sorter sections removed.

FIG. 3F is a perspective view of the chute system of the high throughputsorting device of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3G is a perspective view of an embodiment a single chute of thehigh throughput sorting device of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3H is an end view of the chute system of FIG. 3F.

FIG. 3I is a top view of the chute system of FIG. 3I and illustrates thevarious drop points on the two sorter sections for routing items to anyof the shared bins.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a sorting device foruse with two sorter sections including a shared portion for routingitems to a set of shared bins and a dedicated portion for routing itemsto a set of dedicated bins. Each of the shared bins is reachable fromeither of the two sorter sections, while each of the dedicated bins isreachable from only one of the two sorter sections.

FIG. 4B is a top view of the sorting device of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the chute system ofthe dedicated portion of the sorting device of FIG. 4A and the set ofdedicated bins.

FIG. 5B is an end view of the chute system and the set of dedicated binsof FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is a top view of the chute system of FIG. 5A and illustrates thedrop points for each of the two sorters for routing items to each of thededicated bins.

FIG. 5D is an example layout of dedicated bins for use with the chutesystem of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a sorting system thatincludes two sorters, each with its own inductor, feeding a set ofshared bins.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a high throughput sortingsystem including two inductors and a looped sorter feeding a pluralityof dedicated bins and a plurality of shared bins.

FIG. 8 is schematic diagram showing a layout of a high throughput sortersystem including a looped sorter and two inductors feeding a set ofshared and a set of dedicated bins.

FIG. 9 is a detailed top view of an embodiment of a sorting system thatincludes a first loop, a second loop, a set of shared bins, and a set ofdedicated bins.

FIGS. 10-16 are block diagrams of several example layouts for sortingsystems that can employ the methods and devices described herein forhigh throughput sorting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings, similar symbols typicallyidentify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. Thus, insome embodiments, part numbers can be used for similar components inmultiple figures, or part numbers can vary from figure to figure. Theillustrative embodiments described herein are not meant to be limiting.Other embodiments can be utilized, and other changes can be made,without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matterpresented. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the presentdisclosure and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted,combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations bya person of ordinary skill in the art, all of which are made part ofthis disclosure.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or“in some embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the invention. Moreover, the appearance ofthese or similar phrases throughout the specification does notnecessarily all refer to the same embodiment, nor are separate oralternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive. Various featuresare described herein which can be exhibited by some embodiments and notby others. Similarly, various requirements are described which can berequirements for some embodiments but cannot be requirements for otherembodiments.

In some embodiments, the systems described herein provide for faster andmore efficient sorting of items, such as, for example, pallets, trunks,boxes, articles of mail, etc. In some embodiments, the articles of mailcan include items of various sizes and shapes, such as letters, flats,and parcels. Although the present disclosure describes, by way ofexample, systems and devices for sorting items of mail, it will beapparent to one of skill in the art that the disclosure is not limitedthereto. For example, the development described herein can haveapplication in a variety of manufacturing, assembly, distribution, orother sorting applications and the term item can refer to any objectrequiring sorting.

Sorting can be required at any one of a plurality of different levelspresent in a distribution network. For example, a distribution networkcan include processing facilities such as regional distributionfacilities, hubs, and unit delivery facilities. For example, anationwide distribution network can comprise one or more regionaldistribution facilities having a defined coverage area (such as ageographic area), designated to receive items from intake facilitieswithin the defined coverage area, or from other regional distributionfacilities. The regional distribution facility can sort items fordelivery to another regional distribution facility, or to a hub levelfacility within the regional distributional facility's coverage area. Aregional distribution facility can have one or more hub level facilitieswithin its defined coverage area. A hub level facility can be affiliatedwith a few or many unit delivery facilities, and can sort and deliveritems to the unit delivery facilities with which it is associated. Inthe case of the United States Postal Service (USPS), the unit deliveryfacility can be associated with a ZIP code. The unit delivery facilityreceives items from local senders and from hub level facilities orregional distribution facilities. The unit delivery facility also sortsand stages the items intended for delivery to destinations within theunit delivery facility's coverage area. As described above, sorting ofthe items occurs at each level in the network and thus can be criticalto the efficient operation thereof.

At each level, items can be sorted according to item type, delivery endpoint, class of service, or any other criteria. Items which are intendedfor delivery within a defined geographic area near the processingfacility, or intended for delivery to a particular destination orplurality of destinations, can be sorted by separating these items fromitems with other, different delivery end points. Items intended fordelivery to a destination outside of the defined geographic area,particular destination or plurality of destinations can be sorted andsent to another processing facility nearer their delivery end points.

Any level of the distribution network can use automated processingequipment to sort items. For example, where the distribution network isthe USPS, every day a processing facility receives a very high volume ofitems, such as letters, flats, and parcels, which must be sorted forprocessing. Sorting can be accomplished using automated equipment thatcan scan, read, or otherwise interpret a destination end point locatedon or associated with each item processed. The destination end point canbe encoded in a computer readable code, such as a bar code printed on oraffixed to the item. In some embodiments, the destination end point canbe read by taking an image of the item and performing an opticalcharacter recognition (OCR) process on the image, and determining thedelivery end point from the OCR'd address. This information is then usedto sort the item into a particular group or bin for further processingor delivery.

The systems and methods described herein are useful for efficiently andquickly sorting items and can be included at any level of thedistribution network described above, or in any other application oroperation requiring sorting of items.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a sorting system 100 forsorting a plurality of items 101 into a set of dedicated bins A-D. Thesorting system 100 includes an inductor 110, a sorter 130 including aplurality of cells A-C, a plurality of chutes A-D, and a plurality ofdedicated bins A-D. These elements are represented symbolically in FIG.1 and a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand how theseelements can be implemented to construct the sorting system 100according to the principles described herein. The number of elementsshown in FIG. 1 provides only one embodiment of the system 100. Forexample, while FIG. 1 shows three cells A-C, other embodiments of thesystem can include greater or fewer than three cells.

The inductor 110 receives the items 101 for sorting. In someembodiments, the items 101 arrive at the inductor 110 in a random orunsorted order. As the items 101 are moved through the sorting system100, starting at the inductor 110, the items 101 are sorted into thecorrect bins A-D. In some embodiments, the inductor 110 is positionedadjacent to the sorter 130 so that the inductor 110 can load the items101 one by one onto the cells A-C on the sorter 130. In someembodiments, the inductor 110 can include a plurality of lanes so thatthe inductor 110 can load items onto more than one cell A-C of thesorter 130 at a time (for example, by placing or otherwise depositing anitem onto a cell with each lane of the sorter 130). In some embodiments,the inductor 110 loads only a single item 101 onto each of the cellsA-C. In some embodiments, the inductor 110 loads more than one item 101onto each of the cells A-C.

In some embodiments, each of the cells A-C can include a platform orother surface onto which items can be placed. In some embodiments, theplatform of the cells A-C is bounded by walls to help maintain the itemon the cell. In some embodiments, the platform includes doors (such asthe bomb-bay style doors 341, 342 shown in FIGS. 3B-3D) that support anitem when closed and drop and item through the cell when open.

In some embodiments, the sorter 130 can be a conveyor or carouselconfigured to move the plurality of cells A-C around the sorter 130. Thesorter 130 can include a track, a drive mechanism, and the plurality ofcells A-C. The track can be configured to support the plurality of cellsA-C in a moveable fashion. The drive mechanism moves the cells A-C alongthe track. The dashed line 131 in FIG. 1 indicates that the sorter 130can be configured as a loop so that as the cells A-C travel around thelength of the sorter 130 they return to their original positions afterone complete revolution. A person of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that the sorting system 100 can be implemented with a widevariety of types and configurations of sorters.

As illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, the sorter 130 is positionedabove a plurality of chutes A-D. In some embodiments, the chutes A-D canbe inclined slides, conveyors, belts, or any other suitable mechanismfor moving an item from one location to another. In some embodiments,the chutes A-D are passive, for example, inclined slides, that moveitems placed thereon from one location to another without requiring anypowered components. In other embodiments, the chutes A-D are active, forexample, conveyor belts that are driven by motors. In general, thechutes A-D are positioned so that at least a portion of each chute A-Dis below or adjacent to a portion of the sorter 130. A specificembodiment of a chute is shown in FIG. 3G and described below. As thecells A-C are moved around the sorter 130, the cells A-D pass over thechutes A-D. In some embodiments, the sorter 130 and cells A-C are notpositioned over the chutes A-D. For example, in some embodiments, thesorter 130 and cells A-C are positioned adjacent to the chutes A-D. Thebins A-D can be positioned at the end point of each of the chutes A-D,such that an item placed on one of chutes A-D is routed to thecorresponding bin A-D positioned at the end of the chute. The bins A-Din FIG. 1 are referred to as “dedicated bins” because each of the binsA-D corresponds with a particular of the chutes A-D and each of thechutes A-D is positioned under only a single portion of the sorter 130.That is, for a dedicated bin, there is a single location on the sorter130 where an item can be deposited onto a particular chute to reach aparticular bin. The bins A-D can be any type of receptacle for holdingsorted items and can be specifically configured and adapted by one ofordinary skill in the art to be particularly suited to the types ofitems being sorted. In some embodiments, the chutes A-D can be omittedand the bins A-D can be positioned directly below the sorter 130.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method 200 forusing the sorting system 100 of FIG. 1 to sort items 101 into the binsA-D. Although, the following description of FIG. 2 is made in referenceto the sorting system 100 of FIG. 1, the method 200, as well as modifiedversions thereof, can be used with any of the various sorting systemsdescribed herein. The method 200 will be described in reference to asingle item 101 for purposes of example; however, in general the sortingsystem 100 will be used to sort a large number of items by repeating thesame method for each cell of the sorter.

Considering FIGS. 1 and 2 together, beginning at step 205, an item 101is received at the inductor 110. The method 200 then moves to step 210,wherein the sort destination for the item 101 is determined. In someembodiments, the determination of the sort destination can be made withan automated process. For example, the sorting system 100 can include animaging system configured to capture an image of the item 101 while onthe inductor 110. The image of the item can then be analyzed usingoptical character recognition (OCR) techniques to determine informationregarding the destination of the item 101. If the item 101 is a packagebeing shipped, an image of the package can be analyzed to determine thedestination address of the package. The sorting system 100 can thenidentify a single bin of the plurality of bins A-D into which thepackage should be sorted for further processing. The bin can correspondto a delivery point, such as an address, a zip code, a group ofaddresses, a subsequent distribution facility, and the like. In someembodiments, the item 101 can include a unique bar or QR code and thesorting system 100 can include a bar or QR code scanner. The item 101can be scanned using the scanner at the inductor 110 and the system canuse the coded information to determine a sort location, for example, oneof the bins, for the item 101, based on the intended delivery point ofthe item 101. A person of skill in the art will understand that variousother methods for determining the sort destination for a particular itemcan be used with the sorting system 100 and the method 200. Further, insome embodiments, the step 210, regarding the determination of the sortdestination, can occur before the item 101 is received at the inductor,for example, by scanning the item 101 with a hand scanner before theitem is loaded onto the inductor 110. In some embodiments, the sortdestination for each item 101 is recorded in a database. For example, ifitem 101 is determined to have a sort destination of bin D, a databaseentry can be created that reflects this.

The method 200 then moves to step 215, wherein the inductor 110 depositsthe item 101 onto an empty cell of the plurality of cells A-C. Forexample, the inductor 110 can hold the item 101 until an empty cell ofthe plurality of cells A-C, traveling along the sorter 130, ispositioned adjacent to the inductor 110. When the cell is adjacent tothe inductor 110, the inductor transfers the item onto the cell. In someembodiments, the inductor 110 deposits the item 101 on the cell withoutstopping the motion of the cell around the sorter 130. The item 110 thenbegins traveling around the loop of the sorter 130 passing over thechutes A-D, which are positioned below the sorter 130. In someembodiments, the item 101 is deposited onto a cell containing otheritems destined for the same sort destination. In some embodiments, thecell onto which the item 101 is deposited is identified and associatedwith the item 101. For example, if the item 101 is deposited onto cellB, a database can be updated to indicate that cell B is now carryingitem 101.

The method 200 then moves to step 220, wherein when the cell carryingthe item 101 is aligned above (or adjacent to) the desired chute of theplurality of chutes A-D that will carry the item 101 to the appropriatebin of the plurality of bins A-D corresponding to the determined sortdestination, the item 101 is transferred (e.g., dropped) from the cellonto the correct chute. In some embodiments, the item 101 is dropped byopening the bomb-bay doors of the cell when the cell is positioned overthe chute (for example, as described below with reference to FIGS.3B-3D). In another embodiment, the item 101 is transferred from the cellby tilting the cell such that the item 101 is dumped onto the correctchute. In some embodiments, the step 220 is performed without stoppingthe motion of the cell around the sorter 130. With the cell now empty, anew item can be deposited onto the cell when the cell returns to aposition adjacent to the inductor 110. Continuing the example, fromabove, when cell B (carrying the item 101) is positioned over chute Dassociated with bin D (the determined sort destination of item 101) cellB can drop the item 101 onto chute D to deposit the item into bin D. Insome embodiments, the database entry can be updated to reflect that item101 has been deposited in bin D and that cell B is now empty.

The method 200 then moves to step 225, wherein the item 101 that wasdropped from the cell onto the chute is guided by the chute to the binthat corresponds to the sort destination determined at step 210.

The steps of method 200 can be executed repeatedly for each item 101received at the inductor 110, such that each empty cell that passes theinductor 110 is loaded with a new item 101 to be sorted. As the cellsA-C travel around the sorter 130, they pass over chutes A-Dcorresponding to all of the bins A-D. If the bins A-D represent allpossible sort destinations, the items 101 must pass over a bincorresponding to their sort destination during one revolution of thesorter 130. Thus, after a cell is loaded at the inductor 110, the item101 carried thereon will be deposited into one of bins A-D by the timethe cell returns to the inductor 110. The cell can then be reloaded andthe process repeated.

A theoretical throughput of the sorting system 100 can be calculatedthat represents the number of items that can be deposited by a singlecell of the system per revolution of the sorter 130. For the sortingsystem 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, only a singleitem 101 can be deposited per cell per revolution of the sorter 130.Thus, the theoretical throughput of the sorting system 100 is one. Thisis apparent because the sorting system 100 includes only a singleinductor 110 and each cell can only be loaded one time per revolution.

In some embodiments, factors that are relevant to determining how manyitems the sorting system 100 can process can include the speed andcapacity of the system. The speed of the system 100 is the velocity atwhich the sorter 130 moves the cells A-C. In some embodiments, the speedof the system 100 can be limited by the rate at which the inductor 110can load the cells A-C and/or the speed at which the sorter 130 can dropthe items to be sorted onto the chutes A-D. If the speed of the sorter130 is too fast, it can be difficult to correctly drop items onto thechutes A-D. The capacity of the sorting system 100 is the number ofcells A-C on the sorter 130. Capacity can generally be limited by thephysical size of the sorting facility where the sorting system isinstalled. Moreover, it is important to note that increasing thecapacity of the sorting system can increase the total time it takes fora cell to travel around the sorter 130.

In some embodiments, multiple sorters or multiple sections of a singlesorter can be aligned (for example, in parallel), as shown in FIG. 3A.Parallel alignment of sorters or sorter sections can allow for efficientuse of space in a sorting system and/or, as will be described more fullybelow, allow for sorting items on either sorter or sorter section into aset of shared bins. As used herein, the term “shared bins” refers tobins that are accessible from multiple locations and/or multiple loopsof the sorting system, for example, bins that are accessible fromlocations on each of a pair of parallel sorters or sorter sections.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a portion of highthroughput sorting device 300, for use with two parallel sorters 330 aand 330 b, that is configured with a chute system 305 for feeding a setof shared bins 390 (in FIG. 3A only a single bin 390 is shown; however,bins can be positioned below each of the chutes). The chute system 305allows items on either sorter 330 a or 330 b to be sorted into any ofthe shared bins 390. The portion depicted in FIG. 3A is only a sectionof a sorting apparatus that can include one or more section similar tothat shown in FIG. 3A.

The sorting device 300 includes a portion of two parallel sorters 330 aand 330 b, each including a plurality of cells 331 configured to carryand deposit items into particular bins based on item destinations. Insome embodiments, the two parallel sorters 330 a and 330 b can movecells 331 in the same direction or in opposite directions. In someembodiments, the two parallel sorters 330 a and 330 b can be sections oftwo independent sorters, each forming its own integral loop. In someembodiments, the sorters 330 a and 330 b can be sections of the samesorter configured to loop back on itself to provide the parallelarrangement. In the embodiment shown, the sorting device 300 includes asection of each sorter 330 a and 330 b that includes four cells 331. Itcan be helpful to consider the length of the portion of the sortingdevice 300 shown in FIG. 3A then, as a four-cell unit, as this can be anindicator of the footprint or length of the portion of the sortingdevice 300. In some embodiments, each cell 331 includes a platform ontowhich an item can be deposited. The platform can be bounded on each sideby a wall. The walls can help maintain items on the platform andseparate the platform of each cell 331 from the adjacent cells 331. Thesorters 330 a and 330 b are positioned in a sorter portion 303 of thesorting device 300. The sorter portion 303 can be located at the top ofthe sorting device 300. This placement is particularly advantageous insorting systems that rely at least partially on gravity to move theitems to be sorted from the sorter to the bins. For example, the doorsof a cell 331 of the sorting device 300 can be opened to drop an itemcarried thereon onto a chute 340 for sorting.

In some embodiments, the cells 331 of the sorters 330 a, 330 b caninclude a door or a set of doors. The doors can be a set of bomb-baystyle doors configured to open at the center of the platform of thecell, as will be described with regard to FIGS. 3B-3D. In anotherembodiment, the cells 331 do not include doors, but rather areconfigured to move the platform from a relatively horizontal position toan inclined position so that the item slides out of the cell and ontothe chute or into the bin. The cells 331 move along the sorter 330 a or330 b. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of cells 331 issubstantially similar or the same as each of the other of the pluralityof cells. In other embodiments, however, one or more of cells 331 can beof a different shape or size than the other cells. While FIG. 3A showsfour cells 331 for each sorter 330 a, 330 b, it will be appreciated thatfewer or greater numbers of cells can be used in with the sorting device300. In general, as additional cells are added to the sorting system300, the length of the sorter 330 a and the sorting device 300 isincreased to accommodate the additional cells.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the chute system 305 (including chutes 340) issupported by a base portion 307. The base portion includes legs 371 andfeet 377 that support one or more side supports 373. The side supports373 can be rigid, substantially planar structures configured in size andshape to support the chutes 340 and the sorters 330 a, 330 b.

FIG. 3B shows a section of an embodiment of a sorter 330 where each ofthe cells A-D of the sorter 330 has bomb-bay style doors (for exampledoors 341 b, 342 b of cell B) with the trailing door (341 b) having ashorter length than the leading door (342 b). FIGS. 3C and 3D show topand side views of the section of the sorter 330 of FIG. 3B.

As shown, the sorter 330 includes four cells 331 a-d. In general, thesorter 330 can be configured as a loop as previously described and caninclude more than four cells. The four cells 331 a-331 d in FIGS. 3B-3Dare provided for example only and show only a section of the totalsorter 330. The sorter 330 is configured so that the cells 331 a-dtravel along the sorter 330 in the direction 332. Each cell 331 a-dincludes a pair of bomb-bay or clamshell style doors 341, 342. The cells331 a, 331 b, and 331 d are shown with the bomb-bay doors 341, 342closed. With the doors 341, 342 closed, the cell creates a platform forsupporting an item deposited thereon. In FIG. 3B, the cell 331 a isshown supporting an item 301. The cell 331 c is shown with the bomb-baydoors 341 c, 342 c open. When the doors are opened, an item supported bythe cell can be dropped through the opening. As previously described,the item can be dropped onto a chute or into a bin, for example. Thebomb-bay doors 341, 342 are illustrated as swinging open around an axisthat is transverse to the direction 332 of travel. However, in someembodiments, the doors can swing open in around an axis parallel to thedirection 332.

In some embodiments, the bomb-bay doors 341, 342 open in oppositedirections and include a leading door and a trailing door havingdifferent lengths. For example, in the cell 331 b, which is shown withdoors 341 b, 342 b closed, the trailing door 341 b has a length L₂ thatis shorter than the leading door 342 b, which has a length L₁. Thecombined length of L₁ and L₂ makes up the total length L of each cell331. A sorter cell configured with doors of different lengths, as is thecell 331 b, can provide particular advantages. For example, the doors ofdifferent lengths can allow the sorter 330 to be operated at a higherspeed. This advantage will become apparent to a person of ordinary skillin the art considering the cell 331 c, shown with doors 341 c and 342 copen. As shown in FIG. 3D, as an item 301 is dropped from the open cell331 c, it must clear the trailing door 341 c, which is still movingforward along the sorter 330. Deceasing the length L₂ of the trailingdoor 341 c, decreases the distance the item 301 must fall to clear thetrailing door 341 c. Moreover, as the distance the item 301 must fall toclear the trailing door 341 c decreases, the speed at which the sorter330 can move the cell 331 c is increased. In some embodiments, this canallow for faster sorting of items. In some embodiments, L₂ can bebetween 10 percent and 50 percent of the total length L. In someembodiments, L₂ can be between 20 percent and 40 percent of the totallength L. In some embodiments, L₂ can be between 25 percent and 35percent of the total length L. In some embodiments, L₂ can beapproximately one third the total length L. Other ratios are possible.

In some embodiments, the trailing door 341 can be omitted entirely andthe leading door 342 can comprise the entire length L or vice versa.

The embodiment of the sorter 330 described in reference to FIGS. 3B-3Dcan be incorporated into any of the sorting systems or devices describedherein. However, other types of sorters, including sorters with only asingle door, doors of equal lengths, doors which open around an axisparallel to the direction of travel of the cells, tilting sorters, orany other type of sorters can also be used. In some embodiments, thedoors with different lengths described in reference to the sorter 330can be included in only some of the cells of the sorter.

In some embodiments, the sorter 330 includes an encoder 399 thataccurately monitors the position of the plurality of cells A-D carriedby the sorter. The encoder 399 allows the sorting system to locate theposition of each of the cells A-D relative to the other components ofthe system. For example, the encoder 399 allows the sorting system todetermine when a particular cell of the plurality of cells A-D ispositioned adjacent to an induction platform or above a particular chuteor bin.

In some embodiments, each of the cells A-D includes a sensor 398 todetermine whether the cell A-C is carrying an item or is empty. Thesensor 398 can be a pressure sensor that determines whether an item ispresent by measuring the weight of the cell. In some embodiments, thesensor 398 can be an infrared beam emitter and detector that determineswhether an item is present depending on whether the beam is broken by anitem or not. Other types of suitable sensors, such as photoelectricsensors and the like, are known in the art and can be implemented by aperson of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope ofthis disclosure.

In the illustrated embodiment of the sorting device 300, a chute system305 is located below the sorter section 303, as shown in FIG. 3A andFIG. 3E (which shows the sorting device 300 with the sorter section 303removed). The chute system 305 includes four chutes 340 for guidingitems dropped by the cells 331 a-d onto the chutes 340 into one of fourbins 390 (not shown in FIG. 3G). An embodiment, of the chute system 303will now be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 3E-3I.

In the illustrated embodiment, a base section 307 supports the chutesystem 305 and the sorter section 303. The base section 307 can includeone or more legs 371 and one or more side supports 373. The legs 371 andside supports 373 are configured to support the various chutes 340 andsorters 330 a, 330 b in a proper orientation to enable sorting. In theillustrated embodiment, the legs 371 extend up from the ground andsupport the side supports 373, which in turn support the chutes 340 andthe sorters 330 a, 330 b. The legs 371 can also include feet 377 thatprovide stability for the sorting device 300. In some embodiments, thefeet 377 can extend parallel to the floor to provide guides forcorrectly aligning the bins 390 relative to the chutes 340 as shown inFIG. 3A. The legs 371 also raise the chute system 305 above the floor,to create a space below the chute system for the bins 390. Only a singlebin 390 is illustrated in FIG. 3A; however, in general, a bin 390 can bepositioned at the end of each of the chutes 340. In the illustratedembodiment, which includes four chutes 340, the sorting device 300 willtypically include four bins.

FIG. 3E shows the high throughput sorting device 300 of FIG. 3A with thesorter section 303 removed to better illustrate various features of thebase section 307 and the arrangement of the chute system 305. The baseincludes the legs 371 and feet 377 that support the one or more sidesupports 373 as described above. As shown in FIG. 3A, the base section307 can also include intermediate supports 375 positioned between eachpair of adjacent chutes 340. The side supports 373 and intermediatesupports 375 can be rigid, substantially planar structures configured insize and shape to support the chutes 340 and the sorters 330 a, 330 b.For example, in some embodiments, the side supports 373 and intermediatesupports 375 include holes 376 formed therein and configured to receivecorresponding pins 346 (shown in FIG. 3G) on the chutes 340. In someembodiments, the chutes 340 are mechanically or adhesively attached tothe side supports 373 and intermediate supports 375. When attached, thechutes 340, side supports 373 and intermediate supports 375 form a rigidand stable structure with the chutes 340 arranged in a fixed position.The particular arrangement of chutes 340 is shown with the base section307 and sorters 330 a and 330 b removed in FIG. 3F. The side supports373 and intermediate supports 375 can additionally be configured toensure that an item dropped onto a particular chute remains on thespecified chute by providing a wall between adjacent chutes. The sidesupports 373 and intermediate supports 375 can include features 379, forexample, cutouts or protrusions, for supporting the sorters 330 a and330 b.

FIG. 3F shows the chute system 305 of the high throughput sorting device300 of FIG. 3A. In the illustrated embodiment, the chute system 305includes four chutes 340 a-d. In the illustrated embodiment, each chute340 a-d is configured at an inclined angle, so that any item placed onthe chute will slide down the incline thereof. In the illustratedembodiment, each successive chute is inclined to guide an item placedthereon in a different direction than its neighboring chutes. Forexample, in FIG. 3F, chutes 340 a and 340 b are inclined so as to slideitems generally to the left side of the figure, while chutes 340 c and340 d are inclined so as to slide items generally to the right side ofthe figure. An end view of this arrangement is shown in FIG. 3H. Thisarrangement is provided for example only, and other arrangements arepossible. For example, all the chutes can be inclined to slide items inthe same direction.

FIG. 3G shows an embodiment a single chute 340 of the high throughputsorting device 300 of FIG. 3A. The chute 340 in FIG. 3G can berepresentative of any of the chutes 340 a-d of the sorting device 300.The chute 340 can include a generally planar slide portion 345configured to slide items from the top 342 of the chute 340 to thebottom 349. The slide portion 345 need not be planar; in someembodiments, the slide portion 345 can be substantially convex orconcave, or any other suitable shape. The slide portion 345 can becoated with or formed from a material having a low coefficient offriction, such that items placed thereon easily slide along the slideportion 345. For example, the slide portion 345 can be made of a smoothmetal or plastic, allowing items easily to slide thereon. In someembodiments, the slide portion 345 is coated with a low coefficient offriction coating. In some embodiments, the slide portion 345 cancomprises a plurality of rollers. In some embodiments, the slide portion345 can be a powered conveyor belt.

In some embodiments, the top 342 and sides 341 of the chute 340 caninclude walls configured to contain items placed thereon. For example,the walls can prevent an item dropped onto the chute 340 from bouncingoff the sliding portion 340 and onto an adjacent chute 340. In someembodiments, the end 349 of the chute 340 is flared, as shown in FIG.3G. This can allow the chute 340 to align with a bin 390 (shown in FIG.3A) that has a width that is wider than at least a portion of thesliding portion 345. The chute 340 can also include a flange 347configured to extend below an adjacent chute 340. The flange 347 canclose any gaps between adjacent chutes 340 and provide furtherstructural support for the sorting device 300.

FIG. 3H shows an end view of the chute system 305 of FIG. 3F and therelationship thereof to the sorters 330 a, 330 b. The end view of thechute system 305 can be substantially X-shaped as illustrated. Thesorters 330 a and 330 b are positioned above the chutes 340. In theorientation shown in FIG. 3H, the sorters 330 a and 330 b are configuredto move cells into and out of the page and the chute 340 a is positionedin front of the chute 340 a. Either sorter 330 a or 330 b can drop itemsonto either chute 340 a or 340 c depending on the location of the cellrelative to the chutes. The various paths are illustrated with solid anddashed arrows. A dashed arrow illustrates a drop position farther out ofthe page, in other words over the chute 340 a, and a solid arrowillustrates a drop position further into the page, in other words overthe chute 340 c.

FIG. 3I shows a top view of the chute system 305 of FIG. 3I andillustrates the various drop points on the two parallel sorters 330 aand 330 b for routing items to any of the shared bins A-D. The droppoints are summarized in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Bin A Bin B Bin C Bin D Sorter A Drop 1 Drop 2 Drop 3 Drop 4Sorter B Drop 5 Drop 6 Drop 7 Drop 8

Notably, items from either sorter A or sorter B can be sorted into anyof bins A-D as a drop point for any bin is included on each sorter. Thisis accomplished because, as shown in FIG. 3I, each of the chutes 340 a-dextend below a portion of each sorter 330 a and 330 b.

The embodiment of the sorting device 300 shown in FIGS. 3A-3I, providesone example of a device for sorting items from two sorters into aplurality of shared bins. A person of skill in the art, however, willunderstand that the principles discussed in reference to the sortingdevice 300 can be applied to other sorting devices. For example, thesorting device can be expanded to work with more than two sorters. Forexample, a sorting device can be configured with chutes extending belowthree sorters to feed items on any of the three sorters into any of aset of shared bins. The arrangement of the chutes can also be modifiedwithout departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, whilethe sorting device 300 includes bins on opposite sides of the device, itcould be modified so that all of the bins are located on a single sideof the device. This could be accomplished, for example, by arranging thechutes so that they all slope to the same side. Moreover, while thesorting device 300 has been described as having four chutes andaccommodating a sorter length of four cells, this need not always be thecase. The sorting device can include greater or fewer than four chutesand can accommodated a length of sorter longer of shorter than fourcells. Factors relating to the overall size, for example, height andwidth, can also easily modified depending on the particular sortingapplication. Similarly the angle of inclination of the chutes can alsobe modified.

FIG. 4A is an embodiment of a sorting device 400 for use with twoparallel sorters 430 a, 430 b including a shared portion 401 for routingitems to a set of shared bins 491 and a dedicated portion 402 forrouting items to a set of dedicated bins 492. Each of the shared bins491 is reachable from either of the two sorters 430 a and 430 b, whileeach of the dedicated bins 492 is reachable from only one of the twosorters 430 a or 430 b. FIG. 4B is a top view of the sorting device ofFIG. 4A.

The shared portion 401 can be substantially similar to the sortingdevice 300 discussed above in reference to FIGS. 3A-3I. The dedicatedportion 402 can be similarly constructed to the sorting device 300, inthat it can comprise a base section, configured to support a chutesystem and two parallel sorters, but it also includes a greater numberof chutes and bins as will be discussed below in reference to FIGS.5A-5B. In some embodiments, the dedicated portion 402 can be configuredas a standalone sorting device, separate from the shared portion 401.

FIG. 5A is an embodiment of a chute system 505 for use in the dedicatedportion 402 of the sorting device 400 of FIG. 4A shown with a set ofdedicated bins A-H. The chute system 505 includes eight chutes 540 a-h,each chute configured to lead to a single bin A-H. Each of the chutes540 a- can be configured to be substantially similar to the chute 340shown in FIG. 3G.

FIG. 5B shows an end view of the chute system 505 and the set ofdedicated bins of FIG. 5A. Only the chutes 540 a, 540 b, 540 e, 540 f,associated with a single row of bins A, B, E, F, are discussed inreference to FIG. 5B, although the arrangement is repeated for the otherrow of chutes and bins. The end view of the chute system 505 can includetwo substantially X-shaped arrangements of chutes. A sorter 530 a or 530b is positioned above each of the X-shaped arrangements of chutes. InFIG. 5B, the sorters 530 a and 530 b are configured to move cells intoand out of the page, and the chutes 540 a and 540 e are positionedbehind the chutes 540 b and 540 f, respectively. The sorter 530 a candrop items only onto chutes 540 a and 540 b to reach bins A and B. Thesorter 530 b can drop items only onto the chutes 540 e and 540 f toreach bins E and F. In the figure, a dashed arrow illustrates a dropposition farther out of the page, in other words, for example, over thechute 540 b or 540 f, and a solid arrow illustrates a drop positionfurther into the page, in other words, for example, over the chute 540 aor 540 e.

FIG. 5C shows a top view of the chute system 505 of FIG. 5A andillustrates the drop points for each of the two sorters 530 a and 530 bfor routing items to each of the dedicated bins 540 a-540 h. FIG. 5Dshows the layout of dedicated bins A-H for use with the chute system 505of FIG. 5A. It should be understood that the arrangement of bins shownin FIG. 5D is oriented to fit below the chute system shown in FIG. 5C.The drop points are summarized in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Bin Bin Bin Bin Bin Bin Bin Bin A B C D E F G H Sorter A DropDrop Drop Drop — — — — 1 2 3 4 Sorter B — — — — Drop Drop Drop Drop 5 67 8

Notably, items from sorter 530 a can only reach bins A-D and items fromsorter 540 b only reach bins E-H. Accordingly, the system of chutes 505is useable with a set of dedicated bins.

The sorting device 300 and the sorting device 400 can be used in sortingsystems that include parallel sorters or sorter sections. Embodiments ofsuch sorting systems will now be described in reference to FIGS. 6 and7, which show the systems schematically, similar to FIG. 1, above.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a sorting system 600 thatincludes two sorters A and B, each with its own inductor A and B,respectively, for feeding a set of shared bins A-D. In the sortingsystem 600, the bins A-D are considered to be shared bins because eachof the bins A-D is accessible from either the sorter A or the sorter B.

The sorting system 600 includes a first portion 600 a and a secondportion 600 b. The first portion 600A includes an inductor A, a sorter Awith cells A-C and portions of chutes A-D. In general each of theseelements, other than chutes A-D, can be substantially similar tocorresponding elements in the sorting system 100 of FIG. 1. The cellsA-C on the sorter A can deposit items onto the portions of chutes A-Cthat correspond with the first portion 600 a. For example, in someembodiments, portions of the chutes A-C are positioned below the sorterA. The second portion 600 b includes an inductor B, a sorter B withcells D-F, and portions of chutes A-D. The elements of the secondportion 600 b, other than the chutes A-D, can be substantially similarto corresponding elements of the sorting system 100 described above. Thecells D-F on the sorter B can deposit items onto the portions of thechutes A-D that correspond with the second portion 600 b. For example,in some embodiments, portions of the chutes A-C are positioned below thesorter B. In some embodiments, portions of the sorter A and the sorter Bare parallel to facilitate placement of the chutes A-D below both thesorter A and the sorter B.

The chutes A-D in the sorting system 600 can be substantially similar tothe chutes A-D of the sorting system 100 of FIG. 1, except that they areconfigured to extend below both the sorters A and B. Accordingly, anitem can be dropped onto chute A by either the sorter A or the sorter Bto guide the item to bin A. In other words, the bin A is a shared binthat is shared between both the first portion 600 a and the secondportion 600 b of the sorting system 600. In some embodiments, thesorting system 600 can use the sorting device 300 of FIGS. 3A through 3Ito sort items into the shared bins.

The theoretical throughput of each of the first portion 600 a and thesecond portion 600 b is one (1), because for each revolution of thesorter A or the sorter B, any single cell A-F can deposit only a singleitem into any of the bins A-D. The sorting system 600, however, canprocess twice as many items per unit time than the sorting system 100(of FIG. 1) because the capacity of sorting system 600 is twice that ofsorting system 100: sorting system 600 has six cells A-F, while thesorting system 100 has only three cells A-C. Additionally, because thesorting system 600 has two inductors A and B it is able to load the sixcells A-F twice as fast as the single inductor 110 of the sorting system100 is able to load its three cells A-C. For this reason, merelyincreasing the capacity of the sorting system 100 will not create asystem capable of sorting as quickly as the sorting system 600, whichhas two loops operating in parallel.

In an alternative embodiment of the sorting system 600, the sorter A andthe sorter B represent only sections of a single combined sorter. Thatis, the cells A-F are all part of a single sorter or conveyor whichincludes the sorter A section and the sorter B section, and thus thecells A-F travel around one unitary loop. In this embodiment, each ofthe six cells A-F can be loaded by both the inductor A and the inductorB. Moreover, each of the six cells A-F passes each of the chutes A-D inbetween each inductor A and B. Thus, each of the six cells A-F will beempty each time it reaches the next inductor. In this embodiment, thetheoretical throughput of the sorting system 600 is two (2) because eachcell can deposit two items per every revolution of the combined sorter.In other words, the cell A will be loaded by the inductor A and willdeposit its item onto one the chutes A-D by the time it reaches inductorB; the cell A will then be reloaded at the inductor B and will depositthis second item onto one of the chutes A-D by the time it returns againto inductor A.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a high throughput sortingsystem 700 including two inductors A and B and a looped sorter, with afirst sorter section A and a second sorter section B, feeding aplurality of shared bins A and C and a plurality of dedicated bins B, D,E, and F. The terms shared bins and dedicated are used as defined above,with shared bins accessible from either loop and dedicated binsaccessible each from only a single loop. In general, the elements of thesorting system 700 are substantially similar to the elements of thesorting systems described above. However, in the sorting system 700, theelements are arranged to include some chutes A and C leading to sharedbins A and C, and some dedicated chutes B, D, E, and F leading todedicated bins B, D, E, and F. In other words, as the six cells A-Ftravel around the sorter, the cells pass the chutes A and C twice, onceduring sorter section A and again during sorter section B. In contrast,the cells pass the chutes B, D, E, and F only once per revolution: thechutes B and D only during the sorter section A and the chutes E and Fonly during the sorter section B.

Assuming the items arriving at the inductors A and B have an evendistribution, that is, that the items are randomly distributed so thatthe probability that any particular item will be distributed into anyparticular bin is the same, the theoretical throughput of the sortingsystem 700 is 4/3. This is because, beginning with the inductor A, aloaded cell passes four (A, B, C, D) of the six total bins A-F beforereaching inductor B. Thus, assuming an even distribution of items, for aparticular cell, the probability that an item will be deposited duringthe sorter section A is four out of six, or 2/3. During the sortersection B, the cell again passes four (A, C, E, F) bins of the A-F bins.The probability that an item is deposited during the sorter section B isagain 2/3. Thus, for the entire sorter, including the sorter sections Aand B, each cell will deposit, on average, 4/3 items per revolution (orbecause 1/3 of an item is nonsensical, each cell A-F of the sortingsystem 700 is capable of depositing 12 items per 9 revolutions).

In one embodiment, the sorting system 700 can be further optimized bycontrolling how items are routed to the inductor A and the inductor B.For example, if items are routed to inductor A such that the probabilitythat items will be deposited into the bins A-D during sorter section Ais increased, the overall theoretical throughput of the system can beincreased.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elementsand features of the sorting systems 100, 600, and 700 described abovecan be combined and/or modified for adaptation to a particular sortingneed. For example, it will be understood that the number of elements inany of the sorting systems described above can be increased or decreasedwithout departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, thesorting system 400 could be modified to include 100 cells, with 50dedicated bins and 50 shared bins.

FIG. 8 is schematic diagram showing a layout of a high throughput sortersystem 800 including a looped sorter 830 and two inductors A and Bfeeding a set of shared bins and a set of dedicated bins. In theembodiment shown, 80 shared bins are located in sorter section A. Afirst set of 160 dedicated bins is shown in sorter section B. A thirdset of 40 dedicated bins is shown in sorter section C. And a fourth setof 200 dedicated bins is shown in sorter section D. The sorting system800 therefore includes 480 bins total. Notably, the sorter section Aincludes two parallel sorter sections, for example as shown in FIG. 3A.The sorter sections B, C, and D only include a single sorter section,for example as described in reference to FIG. 1.

The sorter 830 is arranged as a double loop. That is, the sorter 830 isarranged with two loops (loop 1 and loop 2) so that each loop passesover the shared bins in sorter section A; however, a person of skill inthe art will appreciate that the sorter 830 is continuous along itslength. That is, loop 1 feeds directly into loop 2, and vice versa. Inthe figure, loop 1 is the smaller inner loop beginning at inductor A.Loop 1 includes the sorter section A and the sorter section B. Loop 2 isthe larger outer loop beginning at inductor B. Loop 2 includes thesorter section A, the sorter section C, and the sorter section D. Theinductor A is configured to fill any empty cells on the sorter 830before the cells enter loop 1. Similarly, the inductor B is configuredto fill any empty cells on the sorter 830 before the cells enter loop 2.

The sorter section A includes shared bins that are accessible from bothloop 1 and loop 2. In some embodiments, the sorting system 800 canemploy the sorting device 300 described above in reference to FIGS.3A-3I at the sorter section A to allow for feeding of the shared bins byboth loop 1 and loop 2. The sorter sections B-D include dedicated bins.Notably, in some embodiments of the sorting system 800 using the sortingdevice 300 as described above, the length of the sorter 830 in area A toaccommodate the 80 shared bins is approximately equal to the length ofthe sorter 830 in area B that accommodates the 160 dedicated bins.

The theoretical throughput of the sorting system 800 shown in FIG. 8 iscalculated to be 7/6. Beginning with all cells loaded by inductor A,loop 1 passes the 80 shared bins of section A and the 160 dedicated binsof section B for a total of 240 bins out of the 480 bins on the sorter.Accordingly, assuming even distribution, approximately 1/2 the cellswill on average be unloaded by the time they reach inductor B. Theinductor B reloads all empty cells and during loop 2 the cells pass the80 shared bins of section A and the 240 dedicated bins of sections C andD for a total of 320 bins out of the 480 bins on the sorter. Thus, againassuming even distribution, on average 2/3 of the cells should beunloaded during loop 2. The total theoretical throughput of the sortingsystem 800 is the sum of the 1/2 from loop 1 and the 2/3 from loop 2,for a total theoretical throughput of 7/6.

It will be appreciated that the total number of dedicated and sharedbins, their layout and organization, and the number of inductors can bevaried depending on the particular sorting application, size constraintsof the processing facility, or availability of sorting equipment.Schematics illustrating several example sorting systems are shown inFIGS. 9-16. These are provided by way of example only, and are notintended to be limiting. Further, a person of ordinary skill in the artwill understand that the attached schematics do not form an exhaustedlist and other layouts for sorting systems are possible and within thescope of this disclosure.

FIG. 9 depicts a detailed top view of an example of a sorting system 900that includes a sorter 930 having a first loop with 124 shared bins and120 dedicated bins and a second loop with 124 shared bins and 184dedicated bins. The 124 shared bins are accessible by both loop 1 andloop 2. The system includes a first inductor A which loads cells on thesorter 930 prior to loop 1 and a second inductor B which loads cells onthe sorter 930 prior to loop 2. The sorter 930 is configured as acontinuous double loop. During loop 1, 244 bins of the 428 bins will beunloaded, and during loop 2, 308 bins of the 428 bins will be unloaded.Thus, the theoretical throughput for the system 900 is 552/428, orapproximately 1.29.

FIG. 10 is a simplified top view of an embodiment of a sorting system1000. The sorting system 1000 includes a sorter 1030. The sorter 1030 isconfigured as a double loop, including loop 1 and loop 2. Loop 1 feedsdirectly into loop 2, and loop 2 in turn feeds into loop 1. Loop 1begins at a first inductor A and passes 36 dedicated bins in sortersection A, 84 shared bins in sorter section B, and 128 dedicated bins insorter section D. Thus, loop 1 includes 248 bins, 84 of which are shared(accessible during both loop 1 and loop 2). Following loop 1, the sorter1030 forms loop 2. Loop 2 begins at a second inductor B and passes the84 shared bins in sorter section B and 160 dedicated bins in sortersection C. Thus, loop 2 includes 244 bins, 84 of which are shared(accessible during both loop 1 and loop 2). In total, the sorting system1000 includes 408 bins. During loop 1, 248 bins of the 408 bins will beunloaded, and during loop 2, 244 bins of the 408 bins will be unloaded.Thus, the theoretical throughput for the system 1000 is 492/408, orapproximately 1.21.

FIG. 11 is a simplified top view of an embodiment of a sorting system1100. The sorting system 1100 includes a sorter 1130. The sorter 1130 isconfigured with two distinct and separate loops: loop 1 and loop 2. Loop1 and loop 2 are not connected to each other. Loop 1 begins at a firstinductor A and passes 120 dedicated bins in sorter section A and 160dedicated bins in sorter section B. Thus, loop 1 includes dedicated 280bins that are only accessible for items placed on loop 1 by inductor A.Loop 2 begins at a second inductor B and passes the 84 dedicated bins insorter section C and 120 dedicated bins in sorter section D. Thus, loop2 includes 204 dedicated bins that are only accessible to items placedon loop 2 by inductor B. In total, the sorting system 1100 includes 484bins. Because the system 1100 does not include any shared bins, thetheoretical throughput of the system 1100 is one (1).

FIG. 12 is a simplified top view of an embodiment of a sorting system1200. The sorting system 1200 includes a sorter 1230. Similar to thesorter 1130 of FIG. 11, the sorter 1230 is configured with two distinctand separate loops: loop 1 and loop 2. Loop 1 and loop 2 are notconnected to each other. Loop 1 begins at a first inductor A and passes36 dedicated bins in sorter section A, 84 shared bins in sorter sectionB, and 120 shared bins in sorter section C. Thus, loop 1 includes 280bins, 204 of which are shared (accessible by both loop 1 and loop 2).Following loop 1, the sorter 1230 forms loop 2. Loop 2 begins at asecond inductor B and passes the 84 shared bins in sorter section B andthe 120 shared bins in sorter section C. Thus, loop 2 includes 204 bins,all of which are shared (accessible by both loop 1 and loop 2). Intotal, the sorting system 1200 includes 484 bins. During loop 1, 280bins of the 484 bins will be unloaded, and during loop 2, 204 bins ofthe 484 bins will be unloaded. Thus, the theoretical throughput for thesystem 1200 is 484/484, or one (1). Although the system 1200 includesshared bins, the theoretical throughput is still one because each loopcan only be loaded once per revolution, with inductor A loading loop 1and inductor B loading loop 2.

FIG. 13 is a simplified top view of an embodiment of a sorting system1300. The sorting system 1300 includes a sorter 1330. The sorter 1330 isconfigured as a double loop, including loop 1 and loop 2. Loop 1 feedsdirectly into loop 2, and loop 2 in turn feeds into loop 1. Loop 1begins at a first inductor A and passes 124 dedicated bins in sortersection A and 124 dedicated bins in sorter section B. Thus, loop 1includes 284 dedicated bins that are accessible only during loop 1.Following loop 1, the sorter 1330 forms loop 2. Loop 2 begins at asecond inductor B and passes 88 dedicated bins in sorter section C and160 dedicated bins in sorter section B. Thus, loop 2 includes 212dedicated bins only accessible during loop 2. In total, the sortingsystem 1300 includes 496 bins. During loop 1, 284 bins of the 496 binswill be unloaded, and during loop 2, 212 bins of the 496 bins will beunloaded. Thus, the theoretical throughput for the system 1300 is496/496, or one (1) because the system 1300 does not include any sharedbins.

FIG. 14 is a simplified top view of an embodiment of a sorting system1400. The sorting system 1400 includes a sorter 1430. The sorter 1430 isconfigured as a double loop, including loop 1 and loop 2. Loop 1 feedsdirectly into loop 2, and loop 2 in turn feeds into loop 1. Loop 1begins at a first inductor A and passes 36 dedicated bins in sortersection A, 84 shared bins in sorter section B, and 120 shared bins insorter section C. Thus, loop 1 includes 280 bins, 204 of which areshared (accessible during loop 1 and loop 2). Following loop 1, thesorter 1430 forms loop 2. Loop 2 begins at a second inductor B andpasses the 84 shared bins in sorter section B and the 120 shared bins insorter section C. Thus, loop 2 includes 204 shared bins (accessibleduring loop 1 and loop 2). In total, the sorting system 1400 includes280 bins. During loop 1, 280 bins of the 280 bins will be unloaded, andduring loop 2, 204 bins of the 280 bins will be unloaded. Thus, thetheoretical throughput for the system 1400 is 484/280, or approximately1.73.

FIG. 15 is a simplified top view of an embodiment of a sorting system1500. The sorting system 1500 includes a sorter 1530. The sorter 1530 isconfigured as a double loop, including loop 1 and loop 2. Loop 1 feedsdirectly into loop 2, and loop 2 in turn feeds into loop 1. Loop 1begins at a first inductor A and passes 124 dedicated bins in sortersection A and 124 shared bins in sorter section B. Thus, loop 1 includes248 bins, 124 of which are shared (accessible during loop 1 and loop 2).Following loop 1, the sorter 1530 forms loop 2. Loop 2 begins at asecond inductor B and passes 88 dedicated bins in sorter section D, the124 shared bins in sorter section B, and the 36 dedicated bins in sortersection C. Thus, loop 2 includes 248 bins, 124 of which are shared(accessible during loop 1 and loop 2). In total, the sorting system 1500includes 372 bins. During loop 1, 284 bins of the 372 bins will beunloaded, and during loop 2, 212 bins of the 372 bins will be unloaded.Thus, the theoretical throughput for the system 1500 is 496/372, orapproximately 1.33.

FIG. 16 is a simplified top view of an embodiment of a sorting system1600. The sorting system 1600 includes a sorter 1630. The sorter 1630 isconfigured as a double loop, including loop 1 and loop 2. Loop 1 feedsdirectly into loop 2, and loop 2 in turn feeds into loop 1. Loop 1begins at a first inductor A and passes 120 dedicated bins in sortersection A and 128 dedicated bins in sorter section B. Thus, loop 1includes 248 dedicated bins that are accessible only during loop 1.Following loop 1, the sorter 1630 forms loop 2. Loop 2 begins at asecond inductor B and passes 84 dedicated bins in sorter section C and160 dedicated bins in sorter section D. Thus, loop 2 includes 244dedicated bins that are accessible only during loop 2. In total, thesorting system 1600 includes 492 bins. The theoretical throughput of thesystem 1600 is one (1) because the system 1600 does not include anyshared bins.

The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the systems,devices, and methods disclosed herein. It will be appreciated, however,that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the systems,devices, and methods can be practiced in many ways. As is also statedabove, it should be noted that the use of particular terminology whendescribing certain features or aspects of the invention should not betaken to imply that the terminology is being re-defined herein to berestricted to including any specific characteristics of the features oraspects of the technology with which that terminology is associated.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and changes can be made without departing from the scopeof the described technology. Such modifications and changes are intendedto fall within the scope of the embodiments. It will also be appreciatedby those of skill in the art that parts included in one embodiment areinterchangeable with other embodiments; one or more parts from adepicted embodiment can be included with other depicted embodiments inany combination. For example, any of the various components describedherein and/or depicted in the Figures can be combined, interchanged orexcluded from other embodiments.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations can be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims can contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a conventionanalogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in generalsuch a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the artwould understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one ofA, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have Aalone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where aconvention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, ingeneral such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill inthe art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at leastone of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that haveA alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be furtherunderstood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive wordand/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in thedescription, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplatethe possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, orboth terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood toinclude the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety. To the extent publications and patents or patentapplications incorporated by reference contradict the disclosurecontained in the specification, the specification is intended tosupersede and/or take precedence over any such contradictory material.

The term “comprising” as used herein is synonymous with “including,”“containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended anddoes not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

The above description discloses several methods and materials of thepresent invention. This invention is susceptible to modifications in themethods and materials, as well as alterations in the fabrication methodsand equipment. Such modifications will become apparent to those skilledin the art from a consideration of this disclosure or practice of theinvention disclosed herein. Consequently, it is not intended that thisinvention be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, butthat it cover all modifications and alternatives coming within the truescope and spirit of the invention as embodied in the attached claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A high throughput sorting device, comprising: asorter including a first sorter section parallel to a second sortersection, the first sorter section and the second sorter sectioncomprising a plurality of cells, the plurality of cells in each of thefirst and second sorter sections configured to move in a loop, each cellincluding a pair of doors forming a platform configured to: support anitem in a closed configuration, and deposit the item from the cell in anopen configuration; a plurality of chutes, each chute extending belowthe first sorter section and the second sorter section, the plurality ofchutes configured to receive items deposited through the plurality ofcells and to transport the items to a plurality of sorting destinations;and a base configured to support the first sorter section, the secondsorter section, and the plurality of chutes.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein the sorter comprises: a first loop including the first sortersection; and a second loop including the second sorter section, whereinthe first loop is continuous with the second loop such that a cellmoving along the sorter passes the first sorter section and the secondsorter section.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the sorter comprises:a first loop including the first sorter section; and a second loopincluding the second sorter section, wherein the first loop is distinctfrom the second loop such that a cell moving along the first loop doesnot pass the second sorter section.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein aplurality of bins are positioned at endpoints of the plurality ofchutes, each bin associated with a sort destination.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, wherein an item can be deposited onto each of the plurality ofchutes at a first location in the first sorter section and a secondlocation in the second sorter section.
 6. The device of claim 5, whereinan item deposited onto a chute at the first location and an itemdeposited onto the chute at the second location are each transported bythe chute to the same sort destination.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein each of the plurality of chutes is supported by the base belowthe first sorter section and the second sorter section at an inclinedangle relative to ground such that an item deposited thereon slides toan endpoint of the chute.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein for at leastone of the plurality of chutes, a distance between the first sortersection and the chute is less than a distance between the second sortersection and the chute.
 9. The device of claim 4, wherein the pluralityof chutes includes a first chute downwardly inclined from a pointproximate the first cell to a point proximate one of the plurality ofbins, and a second chute that is downwardly inclined from a pointproximate the second cell to another one of the plurality of bins. 10.The device of claim 9, wherein the first chute and the second chute areconfigured to transport items deposited thereon in opposing directions.11. The device of claim 1, further comprising: a first inductor locatedadjacent to the first sorter section of the sorter and configured toload items onto the plurality of cells during the first sorter section;and a second inductor located adjacent to the second sorter section ofthe sorter and configured to load items onto the plurality of cellsduring the second sorter section.
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein foreach of the plurality of cells, the pair of doors comprise a leadingdoor and a trailing door of the set and wherein the trailing door isshorter than the leading door.
 13. A method of high throughput sorting,comprising: placing a first item onto a first cell on a first section ofa sorter; moving the first cell along the sorter to a first locationpositioned over a chute configured to guide items deposited on the chuteto a sort destination; depositing the first item onto the chute from thefirst cell at the first location such that the chute guides the firstitem to the sort destination; placing a second item onto a second cellon a second section of the sorter; moving the second cell along thesorter in a direction opposite of the first cell, to a second locationpositioned over the chute, the second location being different from thefirst location; and depositing the second item onto the chute from thesecond cell at the second location such that the chute guides the seconditem to the sort destination.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: associating the sort destination with a delivery point; anddetermining delivery destinations for the first and second items byscanning the first and second items to read first and second destinationinformation corresponding to the delivery point located on the first andsecond items.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein depositing the firstitem onto the chute from the first cell at the first location comprisesassociating the first cell with the first item in a memory andassociating the second cell with the second item in the memory;determining when the position of the first cell containing the firstitem corresponds to the chute leading to the sort destination;depositing the first item on the chute from the first cell; determiningwhen the position of the second cell containing the second itemcorresponds to the chute leading to the sort destination; and depositingthe second item on the chute from the second cell
 16. The method ofclaim 13, wherein depositing the first and second items on the chutecomprises opening a set doors of the first and second cells when thefirst and second cells are positioned over the chute.
 17. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the first section of the sorter and the second sectionof the sorter are disposed parallel to each other.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the first section of the sorter and the second sectionof the sorter are configured to move the first and second cells inparallel and opposite directions.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein afirst portion of the chute is disposed under the first section of thesorter to receive items from the first cell, and a second portion of thechute is disposed under the second section of the sorter to receiveitems from the second cell, wherein the first and second portions of thechute are continuous, and the chute is disposed under the first andsecond sections of the sorter at an angle in order to guide the firstand second items to the sort destination.
 20. A sorting devicecomprising: means for placing a first item onto a first cell on a firstsection of a sorter; means for moving the first cell along the sorter toa first location positioned over a chute configured to guide itemsdeposited on the chute to a sort destination; means for depositing thefirst item onto the chute from the first cell at the first location suchthat the chute guides the first item to the sort destination; means forplacing a second item onto a second cell on a second section of thesorter; means for moving the second cell along the sorter to a secondlocation positioned over the chute, the second location different fromthe first location; means for depositing the second item onto the chutefrom the second cell at the second location such that the chute guidesthe second item to the sort destination.